Meteor Crater, Impact crater in Coconino County, Arizona, United States
Meteor Crater is a near-circular depression in northeastern Arizona that spans roughly 1.2 kilometers (three quarters of a mile) across and drops about 170 meters (550 feet) at its deepest point. The rim rises roughly 45 meters (150 feet) above the surrounding desert floor, forming a raised wall of fractured rock visible from a distance.
The depression formed roughly 50,000 years ago when an iron meteorite about 50 meters (160 feet) wide struck the ground at tremendous speed. For many years, scientists believed the formation was an extinct volcano until an engineer in the early 1900s discovered fragments of meteorite scattered around the area and proved its true origin.
The crater takes its common name from mining engineer Daniel M. Barringer, who bought the site in 1903 believing a huge iron meteorite lay buried beneath the floor; his family still owns it through the Barringer Crater Company. Meteorite fragments found nearby are called Canyon Diablo meteorites, after the nearest post office. About 100 of Barringer's descendants gathered at the crater in autumn 2003 to mark the centenary of his purchase.
A visitor center near the rim offers exhibits on meteorites and space exploration, while guided walks along the edge help visitors understand the scale of the impact. Those exploring the rim should wear sturdy shoes, as the terrain is uneven and the desert sun can be intense throughout the day.
The force of the impact threw millions of tons of rock into the air, scattering fragments across a wide area far beyond the rim itself. Astronauts from the Apollo program trained here during the 1960s because the landscape resembles the surface of the moon.
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